Spheroidal pressure vessel



Dec. 28, 1948. H. c. BQARDMAN 2,457,113

SPHEROIDAL PRESSURE VESSEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. '7 1943 H. c. BOARDMAN Dec. 28, 1948.

jigg- L3 Filed Oct. 7, 1943 SPHEROIDAL PRESSURE VES SEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. c. BQARDMAN 2,457,118

I SPHEROIDAL PRESSURE VESSEL Filed Oct. 7, 1945 x 4 Sheets-Sheetii Dec, 28, 1948. H. c. BOARDMAN 2,457,118

' I SPHEROIDAL PRESSURE VESSEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 7, 1943 n Y N V Patented Dec. 28, 1948 SPHEROIDAL PRESSURE VESSEL Chicago, 111., assignor to Harry C. Boardman,

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company,

of Illinois a corporation Application October 7,1943, Serial No. 505,297

5 Claims.

1 v This invention relates to a pressure vessel of generally spheroidal shape and particularly to storage vessels of relatively large capacity. The invention may take a number of forms and those illustrated herein are merely to be considered as examples thereof. In all cases the invention involves the use of a pluralitv of intersecting spherical shell segments, each of the segments intersecting with. at least one other segment and connected by diaphragms bisecting the angles of intersection. These diaphragms are then connected by tie members or plates. The invention permits the use of relatively thin sheets of worked metal in the obtaining of a given capacity, compared with the structure of a sphere of equal capacity. n the other hand, the total weight of metal necessary is not increased or is not substantially increased. The invention relates primarily to a welded structure. Because of the relative thinness of the plates the total amount of welding is reduced considerably.

The invention is illustrated in the various forms in the diagrams in which Fig. 1 is a plan view partially in section of one form of the device; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevationpartly in section of a modified form of the invention; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a further modification; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of structures shown in Figs. 4 and 5; Fig. '7 is an elevation of a modified form of the invention; Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig.

7 but taken from the angle indicated by the legend Fig. 8 in Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in Fig. 7.

The form of devices described in Figs. '7, 8 and 9 has been more fully described in my co-pending application 433,752, filed March 7, 1942, now abandoned of which this is a continuation-infrom bottom to top, the ends of which are closed by the spherical segments ii.

The spherical segments are formed from worked metal, preferably ferrous, which has been formed as fiat sheets and then shaped. The invention is primarily of value in connection with vessels of massive size, that is, where the thickness of the containing sheet metal would nortion, and diaphragms '23 connecting their ends.

The diaphragms. 22 may be referred to as radial diaphragms, although in some cases, as, for example ZZa, they are radial in a diflerent sense from those in Fig. l. The structure 20 shown in Fig. 3 may be considered as an elongated form of the structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a modification of the pressure vessel which is self-draining. The structure 30 consists of the outer spherical segments 3| to which are attached the radial diaphragms 32. These are connected at their inner ends by the sloping tie members 33, which may be seen in Fig. 5. The intersection of the tie members or diaphragms 33 form an inverted truncated pyramid, as a result of which the vessel presents a continuous downwardly receding contour at all points on its upper surface. Any rain water or melting snow, therefore, drains automatically from the vessel.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 a form of the invention is a illustrated which is claimed specifically in my part. That application was in turn a continua- 4 tion-in-part of my co-pending application 383,- 61'7, filed March 15, 1941, now abandoned, and illustrating a form of device similar to that shown herein in Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the'vessel it comprises a series of intersecting spherical segments Ii and I5 which form the pressure shell. Each segment intersects with at least three other se ments. The angles of intersection are bisected by the tension diaphragms l2 which in general may be considered as radial diaphragms and will be so designated. The radial diaphragms I2 are connected by tie members i3 which, in Figures 1 and 2, form a hexagonal cylinder I4 extending co-pending application 433,752. This 7 form 40 may be. considered as the development of a cube 4011 made up of metal diaphragms 43 forming the six faces thereof. Each of these faces may be considered as expanded into a spherical segment 4% bounded externally by the spherical sheet metal plates II which are connected to the cube by the radial diaphragms 42. In the form shown, the center of each face of the cube is the center of curvature of the expanded spherical segment.

In assembling the pressure vessels herein described, the interior assembly of sheet metal diaphragms may first be formed, after which the ends of the diaphragms are welded to the preformedworked sheet metal plates. This method of assembly largely avoids the frame work re- (mired in the construction of a spherical or spheroidal vessel of the ordinary type.

The present invention is also adaptable to liquid pressure vessels in which the principles of the Horton spheroid, described in Patent 1,622,787, may be incorporated. The term "spherical segments" as used herein includes not only perfectly spherical segments but spheroidal segments of the Horton type. a

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A pressure vessel of generally spheroidal form comprising a pressure shelleonsisting of intersecting spherical segments composed of integrated sheet metal worked plates welded at their intersections to provide a fluid tight vessel, and secured against pressure deformation by inwardly extending diaphragms welded to the intersecting segments at the points of intersection of adjacent segments, said diaphragms having their inner edges connected, the total weight of metal in said vessel being not substantially more than required for a spherical pressure vessel of equal volume and pressure capacity.

2. A sheet metal pressure container having its outer wall formed substantially entirely of a plurality oi spherical segmental faces intersecting each other at angles of less than 180 and in which'the center of curvature of each face lies substantailly in a plane intersecting each point at which such face intersects two adjacent faces.

3. A sheet metal pressure container having its outer wall formed substantially entirely of a plurality of spherical segmental faces intersecting I and secured to the sheet metal of the segmental each other at angles of less than 180 and in which the center of curvature of each face lies substantially in the center of a plane intersecting each point at which such face intersects two adjacent faces.

4. A pressure container as set forth in claim 2, in which the container is formed about a regular polyhedron the sides of which form the said planes, and which sides comprise sheet metal diaphragms forming the sides oi the polyhedron faces.

5. A pressure vessel having a pressure shell of sheet metal not more than 1 inches in thickness and consisting of intersecting spherical segments having a stress-carrying diaphragm extending inwardly from the intersection of each pair of adjacent spherical segments and having its inner end connected to the other diaphragms, the vessel having a predetermined volumetric and pressure capacity and having substantially the same weight of metal as a sphere of the same capacity, a sphere of the same capacity, requiring a wall thickness of more than 1 inches.

HARRY C. BOARDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i I file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

